Kathleen Durkin found her calling as a high school student in Philadelphia, when she signed up to volunteer at a school for people with disabilities.

She thought of it as a way to give back, make her summer a little more productive. Decades later, she's still at it and on July 1 took over as executive director of The Arc Baltimore, one of the region's largest organizations for adults and children with disabilities.

"I think a lot of people just fall into this work and fall in love," said Durkin, 52. "It was an opportunity to give back and I found my home there."

The Towson resident studied psychology and philosophy at the University of Scranton and later earned a master's in special education at Johns Hopkins University.

She's been with Arc Baltimore for 16 years, most recently as its deputy executive director, working alongside outgoing executive director Stephen H. Morgan, who is retiring after 45 years with the organization.